The invention relates to an aqueous liquid washing and cleaning agent containing surfactant(s) as well as further usual ingredients of washing and cleaning agents. The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing an aqueous liquid washing and cleaning agent, and to the use of the aqueous liquid washing and cleaning agent.
The incorporation of certain active substances (e.g. bleaching agents, enzymes, perfumes, dyes, etc.) into liquid washing and cleaning agents can lead to problems. Incompatibilities can occur, for example, between the individual active-substance components of the liquid washing and cleaning agents. This can result in undesirable discoloration, agglomeration, odor problems, and the destruction of active substances having washing activity.
The consumer, however, demands liquid washing and cleaning agents that perform their function optimally at the time of use, even after storage and transport. This requires that the ingredients of the liquid washing and cleaning agent not previously have settled, decomposed, or volatilized.
The loss of volatile components can be prevented, for example, by means of complex and correspondingly expensive packages. Chemically incompatible components can be stored separately from the remaining components of the liquid washing and cleaning agent, and then metered in for use. The utilization of non-transparent packages prevents the breakdown of light-sensitive components, but also has the disadvantage that the consumer cannot see the appearance and quantity of the liquid washing and cleaning agent.
One concept for the incorporation of sensitive, chemically or physically incompatible, and volatile ingredients consists in the use of capsules in which said ingredients are enclosed. A distinction is made between two types of capsules: on the one hand there are capsules having a core-shell structure, in which the ingredient is surrounded by a wall or barrier. On the other hand there are capsules in which the ingredient is distributed in a matrix made of a matrix-forming material. Such capsules are also referred to as “speckles.”
U.S. Pat. No. 6,855,681 discloses a cleaning-agent composition that encompasses a matrix-encapsulated active ingredient. The matrix of the capsules contains a hydrated anionic gum, and the encapsulated active ingredient is by preference a fragrance.
When capsules are used in washing and cleaning agents, it is important that the capsules dissolve during the washing operation and leave no residues on the laundry. This is a problem in some cases, however, in particular in the context of critical washing parameters such as cold-water laundering or for wool-washing cycles.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to make available a washing and cleaning agent having improved capsules having at least one active ingredient contained therein, such that the capsules, in particular, dissolve particularly readily and leave no residues on the laundry.